In the valley. Shi Yan faced Gui Liao utterly alone, feeling completely helpless.

Gui Liao, that monstrous anomaly, had a portion of its power sealed by Yang Qingdi, restricting it to attacks within a hundred-meter radius—a forbidden zone for Gui Liao. To enter that hundred-meter range was to invite its savage onslaught.

For three days, Shi Yan had tried every possible method to approach the hundred-meter boundary. Every time he dared step into the restricted area, Gui Liao would erupt into a frenzy, its savage, overwhelming aura threatening to crush Shi Yan utterly.

There was no way to communicate with Gui Liao; he had even attempted to release his spiritual consciousness. However, the moment his spiritual consciousness sought communion, it was violently suppressed by Gui Liao’s terrifying malevolence, almost driven to collapse.

On this day, Shi Yan tried again to bridge the gap, but barely had his divine sense coalesced when a volatile, impatient aura surged from Gui Liao. Centered on Gui Liao, a wave of baleful energy exploded outward, instantly engulfing the valley, shattering and sweeping up every surrounding piece of bone.

Those bones resembled sharp swords, shooting directly toward Shi Yan… Fortunately, Shi Yan had anticipated this and retreated in time, narrowly dodging the sky-filling offensive. Shi Yan felt a profound sense of futility.

This hybrid of a ghost fiend and a dragon was truly terrifying. Not only was it saturated with killing intent, but it also profoundly detested the energy of life, remaining utterly watertight and tirelessly energetic, as if it never needed rest, constantly watching him.

If Yang Lao hadn't explicitly stated before leaving that Yang Qingdi believed Gui Liao was fated to meet him, Shi Yan might have already given up. It was the sheer mystique of Yang Qingdi that prevented him from abandoning the area immediately and continuing his search for a way to communicate with Gui Liao.

Time slipped by swiftly. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

During this fortnight, Shi Yan did not rush to get close to Gui Liao. He maintained a safe distance, not hurrying to gain the beast’s acknowledgment.

Instead, within the valley, he focused on comprehending the Yidian Bian (Lightning Evasion Transformation) and the Huanying Bian (Phantom Shadow Transformation). The Yang family was indeed wealthy beyond measure.

During this period, all sorts of exquisite delicacies were continuously delivered, nourishing Shi Yan’s appetite. Thousand-year-old ginseng, centuries-old He Shou Wu, the sinews and bones of various demonic beasts—these sublime treats, utterly unattainable back in the Shi family, arrived daily via dedicated servants, steadily enriching the vitality and blood essence within Shi Yan’s physical body.

Though he found no breakthrough point with Gui Liao, Shi Yan’s arduous practice and contemplation of the Yidian Bian during this time gradually showed signs of illumination. “Whoosh!” Like a bolt of lightning, Shi Yan darted through the valley.

Within his legs, essence power detonated, providing an absolutely ferocious surge of force. Shi Yan’s body truly became like a flash of lightning, constantly streaking across the valley floor.

“Boom! Boom!

Boom!” The explosion of essence within his legs generated immense propulsive power, which, catalyzed by a specific secret technique, translated into extreme velocity, making Shi Yan’s movements almost impossible for the eye to track. “Whoosh!

Whoosh!” The sound of a Double-Headed Flood Dragon beating its wings quietly drifted from outside the valley. Soon, Yang Mu descended from the beast and appeared before Shi Yan with a smile, saying, “Little Yanzi, how’s the training coming along?” Shi Yan shook his head helplessly.

“No breakthrough yet. It seems subduing this Gui Liao is not going to be easy.” “Naturally,” Yang Mu nodded.

“Gui Liao is so fierce, a hybrid of two terrifying beasts—a miracle of heaven and earth. If it were easy to subdue, we would have dealt with it long ago.” Shi Yan remained undiscouraged.

“There’s still time. I’m not in a rush.

Since Great-Grandpa said I have a connection with this beast, he must have his reasons.” “Great-Grandpa…” Mentioning Yang Qingdi caused Yang Mu’s eyes to flicker, and his smile appeared somewhat forced. Shi Yan was skilled at reading people, and he noticed the subtle shift in Yang Mu’s expression, causing him to frown slightly.

“What’s wrong?…” “Sigh…” Yang Mu gave a wry smile, sighing softly, stopping short of saying more. Shi Yan’s heart sank.

In all the time he had known Yang Mu, he had never seen him wear such an expression. In Shi Yan’s view, Yang Mu was always boastful, arrogant, and filled with boundless confidence, as if nothing could ever trouble him.

This unusual demeanor in Yang Mu immediately gave Shi Yan a bad feeling. “What exactly happened?” Shi Yan asked, his tone suddenly serious.

“Great-Grandpa seems to have run into trouble,” Yang Mu sighed. “Seven days ago, he lost contact with us.

Uncle Mo and Grandpa can no longer reach him through the secret arts. This has never happened before.

Our Yang family has a secret method to connect the two realms. In the past, even when Great-Grandpa entered the Demon Realm, he could still govern us through that method.

We could also report any major incidents in the Galu Sea Region to him. But now…” Shi Yan’s expression shifted slightly.

“Great-Grandpa has the cultivation of the Divine Connection Realm. Since he dared to confront Demon Emperor Bo Xun alone, he must have had complete confidence.

How could this happen?” “I don’t know…” Yang Mu shook his head, forcing a smile. “Perhaps contact will be restored soon.

Hehe, Little Yanzi, don’t worry about anything. Continue here and communicate with Gui Liao.

I believe that one day, you will definitely find a way to connect with it…” “I just came to check on your progress. It’s nothing serious.

I’m leaving now.” Yang Mu waved elegantly, re-boarded the Double-Headed Flood Dragon, and soon departed the valley. A shadow fell over Shi Yan’s heart; he sensed something was amiss, yet he trusted in Yang Qingdi’s might and doubted he would encounter any real crisis in the Demon Realm.

Before the Infinite Sea, based on descriptions from Xiao Hanyi and Xia Xinyan, Shi Yan had gained some understanding of this nominal Great-Grandfather. From their accounts, Shi Yan realized Yang Qingdi was one of the most formidable figures in the entire Infinite Sea.

Yang Qingdi’s subsequent actions confirmed Shi Yan’s speculation. Such a powerful individual would surely have contingencies for everything he did; he would never allow himself to fall into an inescapable predicament.

Shi Yan was confident Yang Qingdi was fine. Shi Yan resumed his practice of the Yidian Bian in the valley, all the while contemplating a method to communicate with Gui Liao.

Another two months flew by. Shi Yan’s Yidian Bian finally achieved a major breakthrough.

After this long period of arduous cultivation, the essence explosions at the nexus points in his legs grew increasingly potent. Naturally, once Shi Yan activated the Yidian Bian, the sudden surge in speed made him ecstatic.

When fully channeling the technique, Shi Yan truly became like lightning and thunder, his speed more than seven times faster than normal, streaking through the valley like a flash of lightning. One day, after long consideration, Shi Yan decided it was time to test his Yidian Bian within Gui Liao’s forbidden zone.

He prepared to risk it, hoping he could approach the beast and still retreat safely. Taking a deep breath, Shi Yan slowly channeled the surging essence within his body into his legs at extreme speed.

“Boom! Boom!

Boom!” In his legs, at the nexus points of the meridians, violent explosions suddenly sounded, seemingly vibrating his very joints—a crisp cracking noise emanated from his leg bones. A streak of lightning shot toward Gui Liao.

Crouching on the ground with narrowed green eyes, Gui Liao instantly detected Shi Yan’s approach. “Roar!” Gui Liao let out a furious bellow, its ten-meter-long body suddenly rising.

The surging killing aura erupted from its form. Like a tide of savage flame, it instantly enveloped the hundred-meter defensive perimeter.

As Gui Liao’s massive body moved, its claws and the strange spikes covering it shimmered with an odd light. Both nether energy and demonic energy poured out, instantly spreading to cover the entire area.

Shi Yan, having charged into the forbidden zone, was immediately plunged into a quagmire, completely shrouded by Gui Liao’s fierce aura. The overwhelming tide of malevolence physically enveloped him, the murderous energy frantically surging toward Shi Yan, assaulting his mind, intent on drowning him completely.

“What’s going on?” the Profound Ice Cold Flame suddenly transmitted a thought. “What a powerful beast!

This creature can actually control nether energy and demonic energy—incredible!” The Profound Ice Cold Flame, dormant within the Blood Rune Ring, also sensed the oppressive aura and actively communicated with Shi Yan. The towering malevolence bore down, and Shi Yan’s body felt directly immobilized, unable to move.

The savage aura emanating from Gui Liao manifested as a soul attack, rolling in like waves directly toward Shi Yan’s mind. His sea of consciousness churned with violent squalls, and wisps of divine sense immediately fled his core, instantly forming layers of spiritual barriers, attempting to repel the brutal assault from Gui Liao.

Shi Yan was aghast; withdrawing from this forbidden zone now seemed harder than scaling the heavens. “Impressive!” the Profound Ice Cold Flame exclaimed in shock.

“This beast’s potential is limitless, unlike anything I’ve seen before. How did you provoke this thing?” Shi Yan struggled desperately to resist the soul assault from Gui Liao, finding it incredibly taxing.

His physical body, bombarded by the surging nether and demonic energies, felt like it was being hammered by a giant mountain, swaying precariously. He was still fifty meters away from Gui Liao.

Gui Liao hadn't even resorted to physical strikes; the sheer aura of malice from its body was enough to overwhelm Shi Yan, leaving him like a tiny skiff in a raging storm, seemingly moments from being dashed to pieces. “Oh!” The Profound Ice Cold Flame cried out again; it seemed to have discovered something and suddenly exclaimed with surprise, “The Blood Rune Ring has loosened its restraint on me—is this, is this telling me to help you?” The next instant, Shi Yan felt an intensely frigid aura surge violently from the Blood Rune Ring.

In just a moment, Shi Yan’s entire body was encased in ice, as if he were trapped in a frozen statue. Streaks of power flowing from the Profound Ice Cold Flame enveloped his body.

The savage offensive from Gui Liao, hindered by the intervention of the Profound Ice Cold Flame, was actually blocked from immediately crushing Shi Yan. Shi Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

“Roar…” Gui Liao suddenly moved! Accompanied by a fierce roar, the chains binding it emitted a colossal metallic clang.

Gui Liao’s massive body swept over Shi Yan like a black cloud descending. Darkness pressed overhead.

Shi Yan’s face drastically changed; he felt his soul had been directly locked onto by Gui Liao’s vicious spirit, generating a sense of defeat that no matter where he fled, he would be struck down in one blow.